Deprecated: preg_replace(): The /e modifier is deprecated, use preg_replace_callback instead in /home/aleche35/boards.sethroberts.net/Sources/Load.php(183) : runtime-created function on line 3Ethesis, lost 72 pounds in ten months, stable at 13+ and counting ...

[Hit 178 this morning, down ten pounds from when I started this thread]

The first month I lost 15 pounds, the next month I lost 10 pounds and it has been around 7-8 pounds a month since then.

My goal is 160.2

I started with a two liter bottle of water in which I put somewhere between half and two-thirds cup of sugar. I'd drink a liter at 10:00 and a liter at 2:30 in the afternoon.

I started the extra light olive oil because I had times I couldn't drink the water (like when I had to go to court).

I was using only a tablespoon of olive oil, when I should have been using two tablespoons, and my control over the cravings was rocky on those times. Seth was kind enough to point out I needed two tablespoons of oil to get the same calories I was getting with the sugar.

I switched to two tablespoons morning, two in the afternoon.

At some point (and I should have kept better track), I plateaued, and started losing weight again when I dropped it to just two tablespoons of oil.

I started a 2-3 tablespoons of sugar in water in the mornings when I got the book, but I'm not sure it makes a difference, so I'm going to drop that and just keep taking two tablespoons of oil in the afternoon.

I've been using extra light olive oil (it is like five dollars for a gallon at COSTCO or SAMS -- I've bought a couple gallons at both, who wants to run out).

Also tried sugar cubes (eat 24 -- 240 calories -- over half an hour). Those don't seem to work quite as well.

Now I'm using grapeseed oil. It goes down easier for me than the olive oil, which still makes me gag a little.

But it is a heck of a lot better than being so heavy.

I'm only 5'6" tall. Suddenly I'm in trim fit shirts from Lands' End instead of XXLs and busting out of the seams.

The only unusual things I did involve some weight training to get ready for the diet (I'd been doing that for three years to build muscle mass to make it easier to lose weight) and eating a lot of yogurt on the diet -- I'm trying to make sure I get enough protien so that I don't lose strength.

But it is great, especially the changes in the way I think about food.

One thing, if you buy in bulk and use the super saver shipping at Amazon, Amazon delays shipping a couple-three days. But if you buy in bulk, when your friends and secretary and co-workers "borrow" copies of the book, you've got more to give away.

Thanks for posting your updates here. I just wanted to say thank you for all you've written about the diet and your experience (I came across your review of the diet on calorielab and then your blog when I first heard about the diet 1.5 weeks ago), it's been very encouraging and helpfull and motivating.

Thanks again and I hope you'll keep us posted! My goal weight is similar, 165 (is there any significance to the .2 in 160.2??

I've taken back up with Judo, after a long lay-out. The weight class break is 160.2 (they went metric). I guess that isn't obvious from the post.

I used to compete at 172 when I was younger, but I always carried a bit of fat on me, though I looked ok. 160 is probably as thin as I can get and not cut into the muscle, and the change in the weight class is just perfect for me.

Stephen, you're one of my new idols, since your starting-weight and mine were the same. I hope I lose as fast as you have. But then I'm 6'2", so it's unlikely that I'll get as low as 160.2, but it wouldn't be outrageous. That was my father's weight most of his life, and he was slightly taller than I am.

As far as target-weight goes, I'm going to stay teachable. After two years in Barcelona, living on a Fit For Life régime, I came down to 190. When I got back to New York, my friends asked me if I was sick. They thought I looked far too thin -- as Seth's friends had told him. But I was SO healthy at that weight. I think friends are not always reliable. They may like our old chubby (or worse) selves. We're the ones who have to live in our bodies. So if my body wants to go to 160 pounds and I'm eating well and am healthy, who am I to differ from my body's wisdom? Having my high-school weight in my fifties might be odd, but it can't be worse than carrying two bodies around as I've been doing!

Stephen, you're one of my new idols, since your starting-weight and mine were the same. I hope I lose as fast as you have. But then I'm 6'2", so it's unlikely that I'll get as low as 160.2, but it wouldn't be outrageous. That was my father's weight most of his life, and he was slightly taller than I am.

As far as target-weight goes, I'm going to stay teachable. After two years in Barcelona, living on a Fit For Life régime, I came down to 190. When I got back to New York, my friends asked me if I was sick. They thought I looked far too thin -- as Seth's friends had told him. But I was SO healthy at that weight. I think friends are not always reliable. They may like our old chubby (or worse) selves. We're the ones who have to live in our bodies. So if my body wants to go to 160 pounds and I'm eating well and am healthy, who am I to differ from my body's wisdom? Having my high-school weight in my fifties might be odd, but it can't be worse than carrying two bodies around as I've been doing!

A lot of people are a litte co-dependent without realizing it, and many will take weight loss as a personal sermond delivered to them, when it isn't.

I've found that my weekly weight now has a cycle. Every Tuesday I wake up with what will be my weight on Sunday (often a good deal lower than Sunday of that week). Then it floats up a little through Friday, drops off Saturday and hits it on Sunday. If I'm on my baseline foods ( http://ethesis.blogspot.com/2006/05/what-i-eat-on-shangri-la-diet.html ) I fluctuate less, if I eat something with a lot of salt, more. I'm really tempted to start weighing in only on Sunday mornings.

It is interesting to read other people who at first felt a good deal of hunger, but no inclination to eat. I was at the same place the first month or so, sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night from hunger pains. But I had no desire to eat.

Gave away more books today. Got some more positive feedback. Brought 2 liters of ELOO to the office for people who were having trouble finding it.

Some strange points: the muscle mass I put on has shown up in the change of weight/size. Used to be I had to be at 172 or less ot fit into the clothes I put on this week at 186. I saved a suit from more than 20 years ago, could wear it this morning. My wife is pleased.

But I hit plateaus from time to time, the big one was at about 20-25 pounds, lasted about a week or so. Everyone seems to hit that one. But it goes away. Other plateaus come and go (though on my current cycle, it looks like I plateau for five days every week and then lose the weight every Sunday. I know, that isn't what is happening, I've got a weekly water loss cycle going).

I need to post about meogenic lifting sometime too. Once a week on the weights, I'm amazed at what an improvement it is over what I did as a kid.

Anyways, as far as your weight fluctuating throughout the week, one idea I read on an entirely different forum that one gentleman uses is he weigh's himself everyday but calculates his current weight using a moving 3 day average, thus "smooting out" the results. I think thats kind of a good idea, as even a particular Sunday might be a blip up or down vs. reality.

I need to post about meogenic lifting sometime too. Once a week on the weights, I'm amazed at what an improvement it is over what I did as a kid.

Please do post on this -- lifting twice per week seems to be plenty for my frame (I gain muscle easily), but lately I'm struggling to even make it to the Y once. I'd love to learn what it is you're doing that makes 1x/week productive!

I need to post about meogenic lifting sometime too. Once a week on the weights, I'm amazed at what an improvement it is over what I did as a kid.

Please do post on this -- lifting twice per week seems to be plenty for my frame (I gain muscle easily), but lately I'm struggling to even make it to the Y once. I'd love to learn what it is you're doing that makes 1x/week productive!

Bottom line, I lift up with a two count, but I do the negative in a four second count (one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, one thousand four, spoken and timed). I do one set of each exercise, 8-12 reps, once a week, except I'm doing a torso twist exercise twice a week (the one muscle group research shows responds better to twice a week rather than once a week) and my shoulder raise twice a week (until I hit stride, I'm only on 60 lbs there, while I'm at 180-280 pounds iwth the other exercises, just started the shoulders after recovering from an injury).

<i>No, I didn't have any headaches. Some of the headaches caused by doing this diet seem to be due to reduced caffeine intake. Could that explain yours?

Another possibility is that undigested oil is getting into your blood and going into your brain. If so, the headaches should go away as you develop more of the necessary enzymes to digest the oil. As you digest the oil better, in other words. The solution would be to start with much smaller amounts of oil.</i>

My suggestion is to break the oil into two episodes rather than just once a day if you are getting headaches and see how that helps.

<i>one tablespoon of sugar</i>

Lots of people seem to be starting with too little sugar or oil. The right amount seems to make all the difference ...

Finally, consistency really seems to help.

Well, I'm off to go run some more. Now that I've lost some weight, I can do that.